One Million For 420 Square Feet
It is no secret that housing prices have been going up for some time now. It’s a real problem that will have to be tackled eventually. The apartment featured in this story may be taken by some to be a prime example of that.
After all, it’s just 420 square feet; but still, it’s sold for one million dollars! Even though it’s located in Manhattan, one of the most expensive areas in the country, this may sound like too much. But hold on: this isn’t a regular apartment.
It Doesn’t Lack Anything
This micro-apartment has been designed to accommodate a 12-person dinner party, two overnight guests, a home theater, and more, switching from one mode to another in a matter of minutes.
Now you may be wondering how all that can fit in 420 square feet. It sounds like something out of the cartoons or the Marx Brothers’ movies. But it’s real.
Graham Hill
The man behind this apartment is the TreeHugger and LifeEdited founder Graham Hill. He bought it a few years ago for just $280,000; that is, less than a third of the price he’s selling it for now.
This is a rather surprising difference. If he manages to sell the apartment, he’ll make a fortune, no doubt about it. However, there is still one question.
Would You Pay One Million?
Some might think that this is a brilliant business move, while for others, it can be a symptom of how speculation is unreasonably inflating housing costs across the nation.
Still, there is no question that what he did with the apartment is quite worthy of praise on its own. Whether it warrants paying one million for it is a different story; we’ll let you be the judge of that.
“By Geniuses For Geniuses”
One thing that must be taken into account is that Hill invested $365,000 in the renovation of the apartment. The apartment was the result of a competition that Hill set up after buying it.
The winning design, courtesy of Romanian architecture students Catalin Sandu and Adrian Iancu, was selected from over 300 entrants. Hill presents the apartment with these words: “It was designed by geniuses for geniuses. And now it can be yours.” So let’s check it out.
Bedroom
Let’s start with the master bedroom. The master bed is completely hidden until you unfold it from the walls. You can also pull out a shelf with candles, books, and plants, and it acts as a support for the couch.
But even though the apartment is 420 square feet, that doesn’t mean that it can only host one bedroom. As crazy as it sounds, it has space for one more.
Guest Bedroom
Within a few minutes, you can pull out a wall and slide it in the middle of the room to divide it in two and create another bedroom for guests.
At first glance, it might look heavy: but it’s light enough for one person to be able to unfold it and set the second bedroom up when guests are coming. And once they’re gone and you want to pull it back in, it will be gone without a trace.
Bunk Beds
Now you may be wondering where the beds for the guest bedroom come from. Just like with the master bedroom, you unfold them from the walls.
And yes, we used plural here: there are two bunk beds that come out of the sliding wall. Also, this guest bedroom comes with curtains for some privacy. But these are not all the possibilities this flat has.
Office
In this day and age, when remote work is the new normal, one of the worries that you may have while looking for a new flat is whether you will be able to work from there.
And in this apartment, you will. You can unfold a work desk from the walls, which includes a monitor and a keyboard. And there’s even more.
But Where’s The Kitchen?
Obviously, you will also have room to cook and eat in this apartment. It wouldn’t be of much use to have two bedrooms and an office if you can’t even have lunch in your own home, right?
Well, that won’t be a problem. There is something in this apartment that they call “the goliath”. The name may sound confusing, but you will soon understand why it is called that.
Big Dining Table
We mentioned a dining room with the capacity to host 12 guests at the beginning of this article. There is a humongous dining table that you can pull from the kitchen counter.
You can also fold it and unfold it as you will, depending on whether you want it to be bigger or smaller. Whatever the size of the dinner party you want to host in this flat, you can do it.
Kitchen
As for the kitchen, it comes equipped with everything you could wish for: you got a combination microwave/convection oven and a fridge and freezer that you can pull out beneath it.
There’s also an energy-efficient dishwasher and burners that slide right out, as well as a deep-basin sink, along with plenty of drawers and a spacious counter.
Entertainment Center
With all this, you may be surprised to know that there is still room for something else. But there is. Even inside 420 square feet, there’s room for not only a kitchen, two bedrooms, an office, and a dining room.
The apartment also has its own entertainment center. And even though it’s pretty modest, it does the trick. Check it out:
Big Screen
You can display a big projection screen from the big sliding wall. You just have to fold up a flap and pull it down for a huge TV or movie screen.
This is a prime example of doing the most out of limited resources and space. Wit and intelligent design can beat even the most challenging circumstances.
All In 420 Square Feet
Who would have said that a kitchen, a 12 guest dining room, two bedrooms, an office, and an entertainment center would fit into one tiny 420 square feet apartment?
Considering it's in the middle of Manhattan, would you pay 1 million dollars to live here? Or would you consider it only if the price was a little bit lower?